


Shuffle Challenge: Murlendez Edition

by tristan_jace



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Based on a Tumblr Post, Established Relationship, M/M, Moving In Together, Questioning, Shuffle Challenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28557831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tristan_jace/pseuds/tristan_jace
Summary: The Murlendez addition to this challenge :)One of my recent pairings that I got into thanks to "At Face Value" on here by ClaudiaRain, but I absolutely adore them.
Relationships: Neil Melendez/Shaun Murphy
Comments: 25
Kudos: 77





	1. Colors by Halsey

“I don’t want to kiss Lea.” The doctors of St. Bonaventure hospital were as accustomed to Shaun Murphy as one could get, yet he still managed to surprise them every day. Claire was the first to recover, having been aware of his issues with Shaun’s sort-of girlfriend. 

“Are you guys still together?” 

“I believe so.” Claire shared a look with Jared, who only shrugged as he continued to eat. 

“Why don’t you want to kiss Lea, Shaun?” 

“She is not my color. I still see grey,” Shaun said simply. Claire remembered asking her fellow resident what color he had when they met and how he had been more forthcoming than most when telling her. Shaun saw in shades of blue, the same as Dr. Lim if Claire remembered correctly, but had never mentioned his lack of soulmate. Until now. 

“What, do you want to find your soulmate?” Jared asked between bites of his sandwich, Claire grimacing. 

“There is a one in 10,000 chance that I will find my soulmate, which is less than one percent, and that is contingent upon them being in the same age bracket that I am,” Shaun replied. 

“That’s not really an answer, Shaun.” Claire smiled, her eyes still focused on her friend and nudged Jared’s foot under the table. 

“Yes, I would like to find my soulmate. I have observed you and Jared and have determined that meeting each other has made you better doctors.” The other two residents were notably confused by their friend’s statement. 

“Being soulmates has nothing to do with us being good doctors,” Claire said, “it’s our skill.” 

Shaun shook his head. “No, you have become more compassionate since finding your soulmate. This has led to both of you caring more about your patients in part to their soulmate’s feelings; thus, you have saved more lives.” Jared and Claire openly stared at him. “You are also skilled surgeons.” 

“Okay, so you want to find your soulmate to be a better doctor?” The Brit clarified, his tone acknowledging his confusion. 

“Exactly.” 

“Alright, Claire, this one’s yours.” Jared pushed back from the table and left with a cheeky smile in her direction. Glaring in the direction of her soulmate’s retreating back, Claire turned to face Shaun only to find his seat deserted. 

“Great,” she muttered. 

Claire found Shaun, hours later, standing at his locker in the resident’s lounge. He either didn’t notice her or chose to ignore her presence because he didn’t turn around. 

“Hey, Shaun, you ran off earlier.” The other doctor finally turned around, a green apple in his hand, most likely from Dr. Melendez, and greeted Claire with his small smile. 

“I went to find a solution to my problem,” he replied, not exactly specific. Claire returned his smile as she opened her own locker to gather her things. 

“And did you find one?” 

“I did,” Shaun stated almost happily, “Dr. Melendez is my soulmate.” Claire froze, her hand and backpack halfway out of the locker, and slowly turned around. She couldn’t have heard him right. 

“What?” There was no way that _Neil Melendez_ and Shaun were soulmates. Shaun had worked at the hospital for nearly seven months and had touched plenty of times before, so how had they not realized it earlier? “What color do you see?”

“Purple: lilac to be specific. I found a website on colors, and there are fifty sub-colors to the word purple.” Claire took a few moments to process what Shaun said and then nodded more to herself than him.

“Okay, why aren’t you with Dr. Melendez then?” The young man looked away from her and fiddled with the apple in his hands. 

“I walked away,” Shaun ignored her surprised expression, “I needed to find out what color I see now.” Before Claire could further investigate, the lounge door opened and slammed against the wall with surprising force. Dr. Neil Melendez stood in the doorway, his eyes focused entirely on Shaun after briefly acknowledging Claire. 

“Murphy.” Claire felt like an intruder at that moment, but she couldn’t make herself leave. There was audible pain in Melendez’s voice, probably because he thought Shaun had rejected him, but she could see the hope in his eyes. 

The resident in question smiled and actually met the attending’s gaze. “We see purple.” Melendez choked out a laugh as Claire began edging toward the door.

“Yeah, Murphy, we see purple.” 


	2. Drunk Enough to Say I Love You by Platinum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So these chapters are not connected, they are seperate events in most likely seperate Murlendez universes. That's not to say I wouldn't adopt one of them into a full story a while down the line.

“’m not drunk,” Neil muttered; half-leaning on Shaun, they stumbled up the steps to the attending’s house. 

“You are intoxicated, Neil. You had six glasses of scotch,” Shaun stated succinctly as he opened the door. He deposited the senior surgeon on to his couch and glanced around the man’s house. Shaun had been inside plenty of times and even spent the night after their discussions had run longer than intended, and it still had that same impersonal feel to it. 

“Shaun, si’ down,” Melendez complained, “please.” Shaun shook his head and strode into the kitchen, where he filled a glass with water and grabbed the bottle of Advil from the drawer left of the refrigerator. He brought both to Neil and sat the pills on the table while handing the water to the attending. 

“Drink this,” Shaun demanded, not bothering to be polite in the older man’s inebriated state. As Neil took the glass, he wrapped his other hand around Shaun’s wrist like an octopus and tugged the smaller man forward until he sat awkwardly perched beside the other man. Shaun had fallen to the side to where his legs rested across the older man’s lap, and Neil was quick to rest his head on Shaun’s shoulder. 

“You’re warm,” Neil muttered against the resident’s t-shirt, one hand coming to rest across the brunet’s waist and settle on a bony hip. “‘m love you. G’night.” Shaun huffed out an amused sigh but settled in to get comfortable because he would not wake his...boyfriend. As Neil began to snore softly, the young resident sat in the thought. 

Shaun and Dr. Melendez had become  _ Shaun and Neil _ almost seven months ago, though entirely by accident. It was a night similar to this one when Shaun’s phone rang at ten thirty-one, the caller ID reading off Dr. Lim’s name and number. The pair had gone to a bar near the hospital, and Neil had gotten drunker than she could handle, so she called the most used number in the attending’s phone. Shaun Murphy. 

Dr. Lim had driven the two men to Neil’s place since Shaun was familiar with it, something the woman had simply smirked at when told, and left with good wishes to both. The resident was deceptively strong and had maneuvered the drunk surgeon into his own home without incident. That night had ended in a bed rather than the couch, though. Neil had been drunk but still coherent enough to strip off his dress shirt and convince Shaun to lie down beside him. 

Shaun had toed off his sneakers and set them evenly at the foot of the bed before sitting beside Neil with his hands clasped in his lap. It had taken precisely three-point-two seconds for the attending to wrap an arm around Shaun and begin snoring, which he pointed out the next morning once Neil had woken up. 

The brunet observed his boyfriend as he slept, a smile working its way to his lips unbidden. Shaun hadn’t understood why Neil had been embarrassed the next morning, but then he had told the brunet why he and Dr. Lim went to drink. Neil wanted to ask Shaun on a date, and he did, after pancakes. 

Shaun ran his thumb down Neil’s jaw, tracing the age lines and feeling the stubble scratch his fingertip. The young man had expected things to change when they began dating, but nothing had. Shaun still had pancakes on Fridays and an apple at lunch, but now he did those things with Neil, and it was  _ better _ . He never thought things could get better.

“I thought everything was perfect,” Shaun said aloud, “and then I met you.  _ You _ make things perfect.” His thoughts brought him to a question that had plagued him for two months. Was this love? Neil had said it twice before tonight, but always when he was drunk, so the resident was unsure. Exhaling softly, Shaun closed his eyes and rested his cheek against his snoring boyfriend. His answer would come with time. 


	3. Only a Girl by Gia Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so this song is actually a wlw song, but the principle remains the same.

Neil Melendez had not given much thought to his resident’s ideal person, mainly not Shaun Murphy’s, and yet here they were. The group had gathered in the break room post-operation, each one exhausted yet wired at the same time, and the conversation had turned to dating. Reznick had inadvertently changed the conversation when she informed the group about her upcoming date. 

“What’s your ideal man, Morgan? Lemme guess, rich?” Park guessed, a smirk gracing his lips as he leaned back in his chair. 

“No,” Reznick sneered, “tall  _ and _ rich.” Neil rolled his eyes as he took a drink from his water but kept his mouth shut. 

“I don’t know, I prefer my girls about the same height,” Park replied absently. “That way, I don’t get a crick in my neck from looking down or up. What about you, Claire?”

She seemed taken back by the question but recovered quickly. “Uh, I like tall, I guess? Humor is good quality too, and I like a nice accent.”

Neil snorted, drawing their attention. “You could’ve just said your type is Kalu and been done with it.” Claire huffed and gave the attending a glare, though he could see the mirth shining in her eyes.

“Okay, what about you, Dr. Melendez?” 

Neil shook his head. “Oh no, I’m not a gossiping teenager; this is your game.” The others booed in good nature, but he kept his opinions to himself.  _ They don’t need to know everything about my personal life, _ he thought. Neil returned to the emails he was reading on his tablet, but Murphy’s voice yanked his attention back to them. 

“I like people to be short,” he said, sure. Neil glanced surreptitiously to his residents to find them surprised by their colleague’s answer, mainly because Murphy had actually  _ answered _ . Their boy wonder rarely participated in conversations that had to do with their personal lives, not that Neil could blame him. 

“How short?” Park inquired, seeming to be genuinely interested as he leaned forward again. “Like, a foot shorter or a few inches?” Murphy’s fingers twitched as Neil continued to feign disinterest, though he was eagerly awaiting the young man’s reply for some reason. 

Finally, he said, “It depends.”  _ On what? _ Rather than opening that can of worms, his residents move on to other questions for Murphy since he decided to participate.  _ His mistake.  _

“What’s your ideal date, Shaun?” 

“I like movies, Lea and I go see horror movies. We saw  _ Insidious 3  _ last week and had popcorn.” Neil’s brow furrowed at the mention of  _ Lea _ . “She likes M&Ms in her popcorn, which is gross. The two should not mix.” Claire snorted but nodded her agreement. 

“Jared liked licorice, and not even the red kind; he liked  _ black licorice _ .” Even Neil grimaced at that because ew. “Was it a date, Shaun?” 

“What, you guys didn’t hold hands and share a chaste goodnight kiss?” Reznick drawled sarcastically, ignoring Neil’s sharp look. 

At that, Murphy shook his head vehemently. “Holding hands is unsanitary, and I do not want to kiss Lea.” 

“Too tall for you?” Park joked, making the others crack up though the brunet shook his head once more.

“She is not my type,” Murphy stated, “she is a woman.” That paused the laughter. Had Neil been drinking, he would have choked from the pure shock running through his system at the younger man’s admission. 

“You like boys, Shaun?” Claire asked gently, her eyes soft as she studied her friend. 

“No, I do not like boys; I like men.”  _ Thanks for the clarification _ , Neil muttered internally. He was still surprised by the casual revelation. Reznick leaned forward to set her elbow on the table, chin resting on her hand. 

“What do you like about men?” It was a seemingly innocuous question, but anything that came out of the she-devil’s mouth was potentially dangerous. 

To Neil’s surprise, Shaun did not hesitate. “They are warm and strong. Men are not as soft as most women; they feel different. Women do not make me feel the way men do, and that is okay. Women are scary and complicated and often smell like pastries. Why do you like to smell like food?” His question wasn’t a diversionary tactic, but a genuine inquiry that Claire and Reznick jumped to answer while Neil processed the last minute’s events. Shaun Murphy liked men and the way they smelled. The cardio surgeon wondered if he liked the way men taste…

Neil froze in his seat, his heart-stopping mid-beat.  _ What the absolute fuck? Why did he think about Shaun Murphy and his orientation? I don’t care.  _ Yet, Neil still pictured his resident backed up against a door with his fingers tangled in dark hair. He wondered if Murphy’s hair was as soft as it looked, or if he liked being touched if it was the right person. Neil’s mind raced with thoughts ranging from things he could never say aloud to moments he wouldn’t even  _ dare _ to dream of, and finally pushed back from the table. 

The attending escaped to his office and practically collapsed onto his couch. Neil had never thought about any of his students in that way, especially not Shaun, but now the other man wouldn’t leave him alone. Neil had no problem with gay people, but  _ he  _ was straight and hadn’t ever questioned that fact.  _ Until now _ , Neil thought bitterly,  _ goddamnit, Murphy.  _ From an utterly heterosexual perspective, he could admit that the resident genius could be considered cute. 

His eyes were a very startling shade of blue, so clear and open that it confused Neil sometimes because, for someone who had such trouble reading people, Shaun was an open book. The boy wore his heart on his sleeve, as much as he could anyway. Shaun reminded him of Bambi with his baby blues, not that he’d ever tell the boy that. Hell, he would probably reject the name so quick. Neil figured Shaun would kiss the pet name from his lips once comfortable; would he be clumsy and nervous or sure and steady like in surgery? Neil could only imagine what that laser focus would be like when put toward a person, namely  _ him,  _ since his brain is trying to say something. 

“God,” he muttered to the empty room, “why am I suddenly attracted to  _ Shaun Murphy _ ?” The seasoned surgeon felt like screaming at God because just when he got his life on track, there had to be some sort of curveball. Only this one had pretty blue eyes and soft hair. A cough brought Neil from his internal reverie, and his head whipped upward at lightning speed to find a familiar presence in his doorway. 

His ex-fiancee smirked at him, hands in the pockets of her slacks, and one eyebrow quirked in question. “Something you want to talk about, Neil?” The man in question slumped back onto his couch and closed his eyes, though unbidden images came to mind.  _ Fuck. _


	4. Say Love by James TW

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really like this song lol.

It was too soon. Neil knew that he and Shaun had only been dating for three months, but the cardio surgeon knew how he felt. Being with Jessica was nothing like dating Shaun. The younger man was surprisingly tactile when he became comfortable, and Neil reveled in each affectionate gesture. After being reassured that he wasn’t a bother, Shaun could talk for hours and filled the lonely silence of the attending’s home whenever he spent the night like no other. More than those small moments were when Neil was alone. He always thought of Shaun. 

So yeah, Neil Melendez loved Shaun Murphy. The issue? Shaun seemed to have an aversion to the word whenever brought up in conversation. The resident either changed the subject or walked away altogether, which made Neil hesitant to bring up his feelings. 

Now, sitting on Shaun’s couch as he made them dinner, he never wanted to say it more. Neil scrolled absently through his emails, choosing what to reply to and what to ignore. Like Marcus’ emails. 

“I put all the ones that need immediate replies in the first folder,” Shaun called from the kitchen. Neil smiled to himself as he clicked the tab and quickly ran through the contents before tossing the tablet to the side. The surgeon padded into the kitchen and rested his chin on Shaun’s shoulder to peer into the pan. It was Saturday, so pasta for dinner. 

“Smells good, babe.” 

“Shrimp carbonara. It is said that the pasta alla carbonara began around 1944 with the arrival of English and American troops on the line between Lazio, Molise, and Campania. Soldiers used to make pasta with the ingredients they could find more easily, which happened to be eggs and canned bacon.” Shaun explained as he stirred the sauce. Neil hummed his acknowledgment and wrapped his arms around the taller man’s waist, trying to convey how he felt via telepathy. “You are very close.”

“Would you like me to move back?” Neil mumbled against his shirt, already loosening his grip, but a hand covered his.

“I did not say that.” The attending smiled against Shaun’s back and turned to rest his cheek against the soft cotton. “Are you alright, Neil?”

“Yeah, I just missed you.” 

“You saw me at work,” Shaun pointed out. 

“Yeah, but that’s  _ work _ ,” Neil complained, “I can’t kiss you at work; it wouldn’t be appropriate.” Shaun’s shoulder shook, and the surgeon realized his boyfriend was laughing. 

“That never stops you,” he pointed out, but Neil only shrugged. 

“A quick kiss between rounds and surgery does not count.” Shaun removed the pot from the eye and turned around in his arms, brows furrowed. 

“What constitutes as a kiss that ‘counts’ then?” 

“Well, for one, not between surgeries. Two, I’d like to actually hold you when I kiss you.” Neil ran his hands up Shaun’s sides to emphasize his point. 

“But you are touching me when we kiss,” he argued. Neil shrugged as he stared up at his boyfriend and choked back the words on the tip of his tongue.  _ Too soon _ . 

“Doesn’t count. Gotta be closer.” Shaun rolled his eyes and nudged Neil back.

“You need to eat. Dr. Lim told me you skipped lunch again.” The attending muttered about traitorous coworkers but followed Shaun to his tiny kitchen table nonetheless. The two discussed their respective cases since the genius no longer worked under Neil, but the conversation somehow turned to Claire and Kalu. 

“Jared loves Claire.” Neil paused in his eating. 

“I mean, they are dating, Shaun.” 

“Yes, I know that, but how do they know they love each other?” Shaun asked. He wasn’t trying to negate their feelings or question their relationship. Their resident genius was genuinely posing the question. 

“Love is different for everyone,” Neil shifted awkwardly in his seat. “I guess love is when you enjoy being around the person and the way they make you feel.” Shaun hummed and took another bite of his food. 

“Did you know Jared played polo as a kid? He said he wasn’t very good, but most people say that about things they’re embarrassed to have done.” The cardio surgeon resumed eating, smiling around the expertly cooked food.  _ Yeah, it was too soon, but maybe someday. We have plenty of time, _ Neil thought as he listened to Shaun animatedly recount the history of polo. 


	5. Share Your Address by Ben Platt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I adore this song and album so much.

Neil watched as Reznick and Park argued outside Shaun’s apartment and for once wished he had more friends. “Why did we ask  _ them _ again?” Shaun looked up from the state of plates he was methodically wrapping in newspaper. 

“Alex owns a truck, and he offered.” 

“And how did Reznick get here?” 

“She came with Claire.” Neil’s nose wrinkled in distaste, and he sighed quietly. 

“Unfortunately,” he muttered under his breath. A few minutes later, a knock sounded through the small apartment, and Neil went to grab the other fourth-years. “Come in, don’t break anything.” The three residents and Kalu looked around Shaun’s apartment with interest as Neil rejoined his boyfriend but refrained from touching. 

“So, what’s going first?” 

“All of the boxes are numbered; please start with number one,” Shaun called from the kitchen. “They are arranged by priority.” They each dutifully grabbed a box, Park going as far as to hold two in a show of strength, so Neil returned to his genius. 

“Audrey said she’d be over once we finish moving.” Neil did not say that she was bringing a housewarming gift, knowing that whatever it was would not be Shaun-approved. “Anything else that needs to be packed?” 

“I believe our bedside tables and the rest of your bookshelf.” 

“Alright, be back when I’m done, babe.” Neil left after pressing a quick to kiss Shaun’s cheek and entered his bedroom. It was barren save for a few knickknacks on the attending’s shelves, lacking the familiar dark green bedspread that Shaun adored or pictures on the walls. They had been alternating weeks at each other’s apartments, but now Neil and Shaun would be sharing an actual townhouse. From meeting in the hospital two years ago to moving in together, it sure was a wild ride. 

Neil grabbed the picture frame from Shaun’s side of the bed and smiled. Audrey had taken this picture at the yearly winter gala a few weeks before they had gotten together, and the image had been her Christmas gift to Shaun. It was the first time anyone had seen their resident genius in a suit, and Neil hadn’t been the only one unable to keep his eyes off. The picture was of the pair mid-laugh, the lines around their eyes crinkling at whatever Jared had said, and Shaun looked the happiest anyone had seen him up to that point. 

Neil tucked it safely into the box lying on the bare mattress, lips quirking upward at the large number 1 drawn on the side.  _ Sorted by priority.  _ He pulled out the drawer and began putting away the chargers and pencils but paused when a tiny stuffed animal came into view. It was a simple little otter, small enough to fit into Shaun’s proportionately small hands, and had been won on their first arcade date. Despite the genius’s aptitude for surgery, the claw machine was just not one of his skills. Neil hadn’t known he’d kept the toy. 

Shaking his head, the attending moved onto his side and simply dumped everything into the box unceremoniously. Everything of importance to Neil was in his bedroom, which was now in their new home.  _ Their home. _

Neil grinned to himself, unable to help it, and took the box to the living room to join the others. Shaun was taping up the last of the dishware, looking absolutely adorable in Neil’s Stanford hoodie that was too short for him, when the attending pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“They’re doin’ good work,” Neil commented as he eyed the nearly diminished stack by the door. “You almost done?”

“Yes, I just need to return my key to the landlord, and we will be able to leave.” 

“Alright, I’ll see you outside, baby.” Neil grabbed one of the last boxes before leaving the empty apartment and sat it on the back of Park’s truck with the rest. “Are you guys still arguing?” Reznick continued to glare at her fellow resident while Kalu and Claire shook their heads behind the pair.

“Yes, and they have been for the past hour.” 

“You two have been at this for an  _ hour _ ?” Neil questioned incredulously, hoping he hadn’t heard Claire correctly. “What the hell could you possibly be arguing about this much?” The two residents turned sheepish, or as much as Reznick could, so Kalu stepped forward. 

“They’re taking bets on when you and Shaun are getting married.” Neil stared between the two, his mouth opening and closing. 

“When Shaun and I get married is none of your business.” 

“Aha, so you do plan to get hitched, though, right?” Reznick grinned. 

“When Neil and I get married, you will know,” Shaun commented as he approached the group, a box in his arms that Neil immediately took. “There are only three boxes left, and the landlord has my key.” The residents ran off, so Neil took the chance to slide an arm around his boyfriend’s waist and pull him close. 

“I can’t believe you kept that otter plush,” he teased quietly against Shaun’s shoulder. 

“You won it for me,” Shaun replied, “of course I kept it.” If asked, Neil would deny it, but his heart skipped a beat. The others returned with the last of the boxes, all of Shaun’s home packed away in the back of Park’s truck and stared at Neil expectantly. 

“Okay, well, if that’s all, then I guess we can get going.” The residents followed the couple in Neil’s car and parked outside their new home. Three floors, large glass windows, and a beautiful view of the park across the street. It was a beautiful place, and now it was theirs. 

The group moved the boxes inside to the living room with only a lone bean-bag chair and then took their leave at Neil’s insistence. While Shaun said his goodbyes, the attending shot a text to Audrey before opening the nearest box. Another picture rested on top, and Neil groaned. This one was from  _ Marcus _ of all people, another gift to Shaun, and it had to be the worst picture the older man had ever been in. 

From a conference nearly five months ago, it was him passed out on the couch of their hotel room. Neil’s legs hung over one end, his mouth slack and face relaxed, and his hair was an absolute mess. Shaun had wanted to keep it in his locker, but Neil was adamantly against it, so the genius framed it instead. 

“Is Dr. Lim still stopping by?” Neil looked up from the frame in his hands and nodded.

“Yep, but I can tell her to leave if you want.” Shaun shook his head and stepped further into his space. 

“This is our home now.” The genius held out his hand, which the man did not hesitate to lace their fingers. “I love you.” The words still made Neil beam every time he heard them.

“I love you too, Shaun,” he said against the taller man’s lips. Shaun moved them back collapse into the bean-bag, both laughing through the kiss until they had to part for air. The genius was sprawled across Neil’s lap as they shared lingering kisses that eventually began to stray when he spoke again.

“I think we should get a cat.” The attending let out a bark of laughter and let his head fall back.

“I knew you were buttering me up for something, Murphy.” 

“You won’t be able to call me that when we get married.” Neil’s breathing stuttered for a moment as he looked up at his boyfriend. 

“What, we aren’t hyphenating?” He replied drily. 

Shaun shook his head again, a few errant curls bouncing with the motion. “No, I believe that I will take your name.” 

“What, Neil Murphy doesn’t sound good to you?” 

“I believe Shaun Melendez sounds better.” Neil surged forward to kiss him again, a caveman-like pride making his chest puff. 

“Yeah, bold of you to assume I won’t continue to call you by that instead.” For now, though, Murphy worked just fine. 


End file.
